Develop a winning strategy

There are several factors that determine how quickly a home sells, and though some are out of your control, there are a few things you and your real estate agent can do to ensure your home is under contract as soon as possible.

Find the right listing agent

It’s always important to find the right listing agent, but it’s particularly crucial when you’re looking to sell fast. Your agent will need to be fully available and highly experienced so that she or he can set the right price, and get your home listed and closed quickly.

When looking for agents, make sure you find someone you trust, who can help you balance getting the best price with selling fast. Here are some important questions to ask when deciding on an agent:

  • How many sales have you handled in my target neighborhoods?
  • Has a client ever filed a complaint against you?
  • What’s your fee?
  • How quickly can you get me into a home?
  • What sets you apart from other agents?
  • Can I see reviews of your past deals?

Realty Agents are ready to sell on your timeline and charge only a 3%. 

Think about timing

Although you can’t control the housing market, you can decide when to list your home. Homes generally sell faster during certain times of the year, so talk to your real estate agent about the best timeline for a quick sale in your market.

Set the right price

The real key to selling your home fast is pricing it right. An overpriced home can sit on the market for months no matter how well you time the listing or how much marketing you do.

Your agent will provide you with a comparative market analysis (CMA), which shows the list and final sale prices for comparable homes that recently sold in your area. This will help your agent determine a price range for your home. Because your goal is to sell quickly, your agent will likely recommend listing in the middle-to-low end of the recommended range.

 Tip:

It can be tempting to price your home at the high end of what you think it’s worth with the mindset that you’ll just negotiate down from there if you get a lower offer from a buyer. But this strategy of ‘testing the waters’ is detrimental to a successful, fast sale. If your home is priced too high, it won’t come up in homebuyers’ online searches, or worse, it will turn them off from wanting to make an offer.

Make home improvements

Walkthrough your home with your agent and note everything that could be improved or updated. Your agent may recommend small updates like repainting walls to neutral colors and updating appliances to help boost buyer interest.

Also, repairing anything that could come up in an inspection contingency—leaky pipes, cracked windows, etc.—will lead to a faster close.

Stage your home

Once you’ve made home improvements, you can hire a home staging company for your entire home or just a few rooms.

If you choose not to stage, then you must clean and declutter. Remove personal items like family photos, so potential buyers can easily envision themselves living in your home. If necessary, rent a storage unit to temporarily store all but the most critical pieces of furniture and decor.

Create curb appeal

After all that work on the interior, don’t forget the exterior—it’s the first thing people will see when they arrive to tour your home! Your agent may recommend hiring a professional landscaper to trim your plants and fertilize your lawn.

Take photos

Though you could take photos yourself, professional real estate photography can help your home sell faster and for more money. Redfin found that sellers who used a high-quality camera and lens for their listing photos got thousands of dollars more for their properties.

With Redfin, you’ll get professional photos and a 3D Walkthrough™ for free. The interactive 3D scan lets buyers take a virtual tour of every corner of your home, whether they’re across town or on a different continent.

Explore Redfin 3D Walkthrough

Touring homes and attending open houses

Talk to your agent about hosting an open house to get people in the door faster. Also, be flexible on when people can tour your home. The faster you can get people into your home, the faster you’ll start seeing offers.

 Tip:

Try to keep the home around 73 degrees during any tours. If it’s too hot or too cold, buyers won’t want to spend time looking around. Be mindful of powerful odors—avoid cooking before home tours and make sure any air fresheners are mild.

Negotiating for a faster close

If a buyer is interested in making an offer, their agent will likely contact your agent to see what will motivate you to accept. Are you willing to take less money if you can close faster (typically closing takes 40 to 50 days) or if the buyer waives contingencies? Your agent will confirm your strategy with you before negotiating.

Accepting an offer and closing

Once you accept an offer, you’ll enter the closing process. This typically involves a home inspection, appraisal, title, financing, and a final walk-through, though you may skip steps if any contingencies were waived by the buyer.

Once everything is completed, you’ll pay the real estate agent commissions, receive your money, and hand over the keys!

If you sell with a Realty Agent, your agent will work hard to ensure a fast close. Plus, you can save thousands at closing by paying less than the typical listing fee.*